PHILADELPHIA – The nationally ranked University of Pennsylvania men's soccer team closed its homestand on Monday night, topping Fordham 3-1 at Rhodes Field.
 
Senior Leo Burney broke a 1-1 tie in the 71st minute to push #25 Penn past Fordham and to a 3-0-0 record on the season.
 
Quaker Notemeal
*The win tonight against the Rams marks the first in program history.
 
*The senior class put on an offensive show as Burney, Charlie Gaffney, and Stas Korzeniowski each added one to the scoreboard in the match.
 
*Burney and Gaffney's goals account for their first of the young season.
 
*Sophomore Jack-Ryan Jeremiah tallied his first point of the year, dishing out the assist on Burney's match winner.
 
*The reigning two-time Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week, Phillip Falcon III, held strong on the defensive end of the field, stopping three of four shots faced.

How It Happened
Midfielder Gaffney started the match out hot, putting a shot wide 11 seconds that set the pace for the full 90 minutes.
 
The Quakers continued to get to work early as Erick Sakalosky and Korzeniowski tallied three total shots during the seventh minute, but all were misdirected before they could reach the Rams' keeper.
 
A foul on Fordham allowed forward Kozeniowski to break the scoreless tie off a penalty kick that hit the bottom left of Carter Abbott's net during the 14th minute to push Penn ahead 1-0.
 
The Rams caught some heat during the 23rd minute as Daniel D'Ippolito received a yellow card, but the Quakers could not capitalize off the free kick. Two minutes later, Korzeniowski attempted his second on net during the quarter, but Fordham's goalkeeper made the save to hold the deficit at one. Exactly ten minutes later, Fordham tied the game up at one off a goal from Luke Pompliano that hit the bottom left of Falcon's net.
 
With less than 30 seconds left of the first, Pierce Wagner slammed on at the bottom center of the Rams' crease, but Abbott made the save to end the half even at one goal.
 
Both teams came out of the break hot, as midfielder Jeremiah attempted an off-target shot during the 45th minute, followed by a Fordham off-target shot in the 46th. Within the 52nd and 53rd minutes, Jack Wagoner and Brandon Curran slammed shots at the net, but both went wide to keep the score 1-1.
 
Almost 20 minutes later, the Quakers stirred up trouble in front of Abbots' crease as Burney accepted a feed from Jeremiah that hit the back of the net to break the tie and double Penn's lead. Goalkeeper Falcon stood tall a minute later, saving a shot to hold the score at 2-1.
 
The final five minutes of the game were intense as Falcon was tested with his final shot from the Rams of the night. The sophomore quickly scooped up the shot to stop any additional Fordham chances. Off the save in the 86th minute, the Quakers rushed down the field led by senior Gaffney who had the ball all alone, allowing him to score on an empty Fordham net to push the game to its final tally of 3-1.
 
Up Next
The Quakers hit the road for the first time in 2024, heading to William and Mary on Friday for a 7 p.m. kickoff with the Tribe.
 
For the latest on Penn men's soccer, follow @PennMSoccer on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, and on the web at PennAthletics.com.